A $200 Nokia 6.1, Indoor Security Cam, and an Electric Knife Sharpener: Wirecutter’s Best Deals of the Week

This post was published in partnership with Wirecutter, the site devoted to finding the best gear and gadgets. Every product is independently selected by the Wirecutter team. We update links when possible, but note that deals may expire and prices are subject to change. If you buy something through our links, Slate and Wirecutter may earn an affiliate commission.

Offering customizable alerts, activity zones, and video storage that lasts a week, the Netgear Arlo Q is an option we like in our indoor security camera guide. This drop to $100 is a new low price and a significant discount. As this model has historically hovered around $150, this is a good opportunity to pick one up. Currently, it’s less expensive to buy these cameras individually rather than the multicam packs, so if you need a few go this route.

The Netgear Arlo Q is our customizable generous storage pick in our guide to the best indoor security cam. Rachel Cericola wrote, “The Netgear Arlo Q compares favorably with our top two picks when it comes to video and audio quality, alert types, two-way communication, and customization flexibility. The Logi and Nest cameras deliver slightly better image quality, but the differences should be barely noticeable to most people. Perhaps most important, the Arlo Q has the lowest ongoing costs of the three. However, the Circle 2 and Nest Cam can record continuously, with no gaps in between recorded clips; the Arlo Q can’t.”

At $80 shipped for Prime members only, this is the best price we’ve seen for this electric knife sharpener. If you’re serious about sharpening your knives, this is a great option as this sharpener, despite a multitude of recent deals, still tends to go for $130 or more when not on sale.

The Chef’sChoice Trizor XV is the upgrade pick in our guide to the best knife sharpening tool. Tim Heffernan wrote, “If you’re a dedicated home chef, or if you simply demand the best possible edge that doesn’t involve messing with stones or jigs, we recommend the Chef’sChoice Trizor XV Sharpener. Cook’s Illustrated also names this professional-grade electric model as the top pick in the category, and I’ve used a similar model, the 1520, to great satisfaction on my heavy Wüsthof chef’s knife and cheap paring knives for six or seven years now. (The fact is, Chef’sChoice dominates the high-quality sharpener market.)”

Down to $200 for the black finish, this is a new low price for this affordable unlocked Android phone (for use with AT&T and T-Mobile). Released at around $270, we’ve subsequently seen this phone drop to $255 and now down to about $230—this discount sees it fall another $30. We’ve seen previous deals become new street prices in the past—it’s possible that’s the case this time too, but it’s still a very low-cost option if you need a phone now.

The Nokia 6.1 (2018) is the top pick in our guide to the best budget Android phones. Ryan Whitwam wrote “The Nokia 6.1 runs stock Android with no extraneous software, and because it’s an Android One phone, it will receive prompt software updates for at least two years after its release (so until at least May 2020). It has a sturdy, all-aluminum design, the best camera and screen we’ve seen at this price, great performance, and a bright, vibrant screen. Its camera and rear-mounted fingerprint sensor are both fast, and the phone includes an NFC sensor for contactless payments. Its 1080p screen is brighter and more vibrant than those of other phones in this price range—although the 16:9 aspect ratio makes the device a bit wider and boxier in the hand. Like most budget phones, the Nokia 6.1 doesn’t take great pictures in low light, though it’s better than other cheap phones in that regard.”

Down to $17 with code ANKER253, the Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Stand offers one of the better values we’ve seen in wireless charging. This stand-style charger originally started at $27, but it spent much of the summer seeing recurring sales around the $17-18 mark. We’ve seen the price around $20 in recent weeks, but this code deal drops it to one of the lower prices we’ve seen to this point. You will need to provide your own AC wall adapter, but you likely have at least one hanging around (the one you use to charge your phone now, for instance).

The Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Stand is the budget stand-style pick in our guide to the best Qi wireless charger for iPhone and Android phones. Nick Guy wrote, “Anker’s PowerPort Wireless 5 Pad and PowerPort Wireless 5 Stand are the most affordable WPC-certified chargers we’ve tried from a reputable company, and in our tests they performed as well as the more expensive Samsung models we recommend as our main picks. They’re extremely basic black-plastic-and-rubber units that simply get the job done. Notably, though, neither model comes with an AC adapter, so they’re not complete options out of the box. You can use any USB charger you have lying around, or buy one separately.”

If you’ve been leaving the house each morning looking a little rumpled and wrinkled, perhaps this is the time to up your ironing game. Down to $28 from a typical price of $35, this is the lowest price we’ve noted for this already affordable clothes iron. Our former top pick, it has since been downgraded slightly due to reports of some long-term reliability issues, but at this price, you can afford to buy two. This iron is also backed by a two-year warranty.

The Black+Decker D3030 Allure Iron is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best clothes iron. Jackie Reeve wrote, “The Black+Decker D3030 Allure is a fantastic, cheap iron—while it works. This was our prior top pick, but after a year our test model’s heating element broke.Because of its two-year warranty, we easily traded it in for a replacement, which we then tested. We’ve been using that replacement since 2016 with no problems. Despite our misgivings about its reliability (multiple reviews on Amazon confirm that durability is an ongoing problem), we still recommend the Allure if you can’t get the M400. The Allure creates a good amount of steam, its stainless-steel soleplate glides smoothly across a variety of fabrics, and our testers agreed that the handle felt the best to hold and use. If you don’t mind replacing a good iron every year or so, this one is still a top performer.”

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